UnitedHealthcare settles lawsuit over payments to NC doctors

Health insurer UnitedHealthcare will spend $11.5 million to resolve decade-old lawsuits brought by the N.C. Medical Society and three other state medical societies. The medical society sued UnitedHealthcare in 2004 alleging that the insurer, which is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), would "systematically deny payment to NCMS members for medically necessary claims to achieve internal financial targets without regard for individual patient medical needs." N.C. Medical Society CEO Robert Seligson said then that "we feel this lawsuit is the only way to force United to make the necessary changes to their business practice that would ensure that patient care is put in the hands of the physicians."